Making Canada’s Refugee System Faster and Fairer

Reviewing the Stated Goals and Unintended Policy Consequences of the 2012 Reform

9 May, 2017

The authors of the report write: “The SSHRC research project explores the practical and human rights implications associated with the recent moves towards securitization of migration in Canada. Although our research addresses both migration and refugee policies and legislation, our specific focus in this Working Paper are the refugee measures affected by the Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act and the Balanced Refugee Reform Act. The Working Paper’s twofold purpose is, first, to examine whether reforms following the adoption of these Acts – which we shorthand to “the 2012 refugee reform” – work in intended ways and have reached their stated goals, notably protecting the “refugee system’s integrity”, including public safety and security. Second, the Working Paper aims at identifying some of the unanticipated consequences of the new measures. It is argued that the government has not been successful in reaching the stated objectives of the laws and policies under review. In addition, these measures have had some unintended and counter-productive results. We hope that the current government will take seriously the need to make progressive changes to our RSD system, in order to better protect the rights of refugees, restore Canada’s compliance with its international human rights obligations, and ensure smoother overall functioning”

“Making Canada’s Refugee System Faster and Fairer” is a working paper recently published by the Canadian Association For Refugee And Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS). To access the full paper, click here.